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Denbigh

DENBIGH, a borough, market-town, and
parish, having exclusive
jurisdiction, in the union
of St. Asaph, locally in
the hundred of Isaled,
county of Denbigh (of
which it is the ancient
shire town), in North
Wales, 218 miles (N. W.)
from London, on the road
from Ruthin to St. Asaph;
the borough containing 5238 inhabitants, of whom
3405 are in the parish. This place was originally
named by the Welsh Castell Caled-Vryn yn Rhôs,
"the castle on the craggy hill in Rhôs," from the
prominent situation of the castle in the ancient territory of that name. Its present name is a modernisation of the Welsh designation Dinbech, signifying
a small hill, probably from a comparison with the
loftier eminences by which it is surrounded. Edward I. bestowed the lordship upon Davydd, brother
of Llewelyn the last sovereign of North Wales, who,
on the death of that prince, assumed the title of
Prince of Wales, and here convened an assembly of
the native chieftains, in order to deliberate upon the
most effective mode of prosecuting the war against
the English. But their efforts were unavailing; and
Davydd, being surprised and taken prisoner in the
vicinity, was conveyed to Rhuddlan Castle, at which
Edward was then staying, and thence to Shrewsbury,
where, having been tried and convicted of treason,
he was condemned to an ignominious death, which
was carried into execution in a most barbarous manner. Edward then granted the castle and lordship to
Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who built on the
site of the former a magnificent structure, surrounded
the small town with walls, one mile and a half in
compass, and conferred divers privileges on the inhabitants, which entitled him to the distinction of
founder of the future importance of the place. It
has been stated, however, that the castle was not entirely finished by him, in consequence of the death
of his son, who, falling into a deep well in the Red
Tower, was drowned, when the afflicted parent, according to Camden, "desisted from his work before
he had laid on the roof." Lacy was afterwards
ordered by his sovereign to take the command of the
army, jointly with the Earl of Lancaster, the king's
brother, then about to embark on a continental expedition: but a wide-spread revolt breaking out in
North Wales, at the head of which was Madoc, an
illegitimate son of the late Prince Llewelyn, the projected expedition was abandoned, and the Earl of
Lincoln, with a view to preserve his newly-erected
castle of Denbigh, advanced into Wales before the
king. He failed, however, in his object; for, arriving in the vicinity of this place, on the 11th of November, 1294, he was suddenly attacked by the
Welsh, who, relying on the situation of the English
army, determined to stake their hope of success on
the issue of a single battle, in which they were signally victorious, the English being defeated and compelled to retire.

SEAL AND ARMS.

Upon the death of Lacy, the lordship passed to
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, in right of his wife Alicia,
daughter and sole heiress of the Earl of Lincoln;
but, reverting to the crown on his attainder, it was
bestowed by Edward II. on his favourite, Hugh
Spencer, Earl of Winchester, whose conduct towards
his vassals was highly oppressive, in depriving them
of several of the privileges conferred by Lacy. After
the execution of Spencer, the lordship was conferred
by Edward III. on Roger Mortimer, Earl of March.
This nobleman having suffered the same fate as his
two predecessors, Edward assigned the lordship to
William Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, who died in
1333; and on the reversal of the attainder of the
Earl of March, it was restored to his grandson Roger,
and, passing to Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cambridge, by marriage with Anne, sister of Roger, the
last Earl of March, came to the house of York, and
thus became vested in the crown.

During the war between the rival houses of York
and Lancaster, Denbigh was held for Henry VI. by
his half-brother, Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke,
from whom it was taken by the Yorkists in 1460:
in the year 1468, Pembroke is said to have returned
with an army of 2000 Welshmen, and to have burnt
the town in revenge. Leland informs us that Edward IV. was besieged in the castle, from which he
was permitted to retire only upon condition of leaving
the kingdom for ever. The castle appears to have
remained from this time in the possession of the
crown, till the year 1563, when Elizabeth granted it,
with the lordship, to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, whom she created Baron of Denbigh. The conduct of this nobleman rendered him obnoxious to the
inhabitants, whom his extortions drove into open
rebellion against his authority: various tumultuary
proceedings took place, and some of the gentlemen
resident in the neighbourhood being implicated, were
tried and beheaded. The queen, in order to allay
the strong feelings of discontent which the rapacity
of the earl had excited, secured to the tenants by
charter, in the nineteenth year of her reign, the quiet
possession of their property within the borough, and
conferred upon the burgesses several new and valuable
privileges; and the earl, with a view to make some
satisfaction for the evils he had inflicted, and to conciliate the minds of the inhabitants, commenced at
his own cost the erection of an elegant chapel in the
castle, of which he laid the first stone on the 1st of
March, 1579, as appears from a foundation stone
now in the south-east corner of the building. This
edifice, which was intended as a parochial church for
the inhabitants, was from some circumstance not
completed, and the walls, which had been raised to
a considerable height, were left to moulder into
ruin.

On the attainder of the Earl of Leicester, the
castle and lordship again reverted to the crown; and
from this time till the commencement of the civil
war of the seventeenth century, very few circumstances of historical interest are recorded. In 1643,
the castle was garrisoned for King Charles by William Salusbury, a gentleman in the neighbourhood,
and an ancestor of the present Lord Bagot, who repaired it at his own expense, and, with the aid of the
inhabitants of Denbigh and the gentry of the vicinity,
raised and maintained an armed force sufficient to
resist every effort that might be made to reduce it
for the parliament. The royalists retained possession
of the castle, and after the disastrous battle of Rowton Moor in September 1645, it afforded an asylum
to the vanquished monarch, who for two nights occupied the tower (now in ruins) which from that circumstance was called Siambr y Brenin, or "the royal
apartment." The parliamentarians subsequently
gained a victory over the king's forces near Denbigh; but they made no impression on the castle,
which the garrison continued to defend with unabated
intrepidity, till September 1646, when, in obedience
to a special order from the king, dated at Newcastle,
the governor capitulated on honourable terms, and,
after the treaty was signed, delivered the keys to
General Mytton, on the 26th of October; this being
almost the last fortress which held out for the king.
Soon after the Restoration, the fortifications were
dismantled by order of Charles II. William III.
granted the castle and lordship of Denbigh, together
with several large possessions in Wales, to the Earl
of Portland, which excited a considerable ferment
among the inhabitants, who having sent a petition to
parliament, some animated debates took place in the
House of Commons, and the grant was rescinded.
The castle and lordship are still under the superintendence of a steward appointed by patent from the
crown.

The town is picturesquely situated nearly in the
centre of the rich and beautiful Vale of Clwyd, partly
at the base, and partly on the acclivity, of a steep,
isolated, rocky eminence crowned by the venerable
remains of the castle. At a distance it presents an
interesting appearance, which, however, is not entirely sustained on entering the place. It consists of
three principal thoroughfares, and several smaller
streets and lanes, and is well paved and lighted, but
only scantily supplied with water, which is brought
from several springs, each at some distance from the
more respectable portions of the town. Leland informs us that there were anciently several streets
within the walls, but that at the period at which he
wrote, namely, in the reign of Henry VIII., most of
the houses were in a dilapidated condition, or wholly
removed. Part of the town is within the parish of
Hênllan. The environs abound with beautiful and
varied scenery; the air is remarkably salubrious; the
land around the town is rich, and in a high state of
cultivation; and in the immediate neighbourhood are
numerous seats and elegant villas, inhabited by opulent families, whom the advantages of its situation
have induced to select Denbigh for their residence.
Considerable improvements were lately effected, by
widening the narrower streets and excavating the
rock, by which some good levels have been obtained,
and various other advantages gained.

The great Eisteddvod, or Congress of Bards, held
here on the 16th and two following days of September, 1828, was honoured by the presence of His
Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, and most of
the nobility and gentry of the surrounding country.
The proceedings were opened by reading the old
proclamation, usual on such occasions; after which
the prize compositions were read, and the medals
were distributed by ladies to the successful candidates. The Duke of Sussex, on his arrival on the
second day, was met by the corporation at the confines of the borough, where an address was read and
the freedom of the borough presented to His Royal
Highness, who, having returned a suitable reply,
proceeded to the area beneath the castle, where the
competitors recited their englynion, and displayed
their trials of skill in performing on the harp. Some
of the most eminent vocalists from the metropolis
were engaged at the festival, which was also enlivened by the Denbighshire band, during the intervals of the public performances. A Welsh literary
society was formed here some time ago, which now
languishes for want of sufficient support: there are a
news-room and reading-room, to which the terms of
subscription are £2. 2. per annum.

The trade principally consists in the supply of
the inhabitants, for whose use commodities of every
kind are brought by land-carriage from the port of
Rhuddlan, eight miles distant. Some considerable
tanneries are carried on; and upon the banks of a
stream, at a small distance from the town, are mills,
principally employed in carding and dressing wool
for the manufacturers. The manufacture of gloves
and shoes, from skins dressed at Dôlgelley and other
places, is still carried on to some extent: about 7000
dozen pairs of gloves were formerly sent yearly to
London, Bristol, and other places; and the shoes
were sent to Liverpool, and there shipped for the
West Indies, &c. A most extensive bleaching establishment was erected at Lleweni, in Hênllan parish,
in 1780, by the Hon. Thomas Fitzmaurice, who, in
order to encourage his tenantry in Ireland, and to
promote the national manufacture, received his rents
in brown linen cloth, which was sent to this place to
be bleached. The establishment was one of the most
complete and elegant structures of the kind in the
kingdom, and, under the immediate superintendence
of the proprietor, more than 4000 pieces of Irish
linen were bleached annually. After his decease,
the works were carried on by some persons from
Lancashire, for a few years; but this extensive concern has been discontinued, and the buildings have
been taken down. The markets are on Wednesday
and Saturday (the former being the principal), and
are plentifully supplied with provisions, which are
sold at a moderate price. Fairs are held on the
Saturday before Palm-Sunday, on May 14th, the
last Wednesday in June, July 18th, September 25th,
and the second Wednesday in November.

The earliest charter of incorporation obtained
by the inhabitants, was that granted by Henry Lacy,
Earl of Chester, in the reign of the first Edward,
written in the French language, and not dated. Subsequently to this grant, the burgesses received charters from the crown, in the 18th of Edward I., 6th
of Edward III., 2nd of Richard II., 2nd of Richard
III., 22nd of Henry VII., 1st of Henry VIII., 5th
of Edward VI. (in whose grant the charters of nine
previous sovereigns are "inspected"), 39th of Elizabeth, and 14th Charles II. By the last-named charter,
which, until the passing of the Municipal Corporations' Act, was that by which the borough was governed, the title of the corporation was declared to be
"the Aldermen, Bailiffs, and Burgesses of the borough of Denbigh." The control was vested by the
charter in two aldermen, two bailiffs or sheriffs, two
coroners, a recorder, town-clerk, two leave-lookers,
two serjeants-at-mace, a town-crier, a beadle, and
several constables: the capital burgesses, constituting
the common-council, were twenty-five in number,
including the aldermen, bailiffs, coroners, and recorder. Of these officers, the aldermen and bailiffs
were elected annually by the capital burgesses: the
aldermen were justices of the peace for the borough,
and on quitting office became coroners; the bailiffs
were returning officers of the member to serve in
parliament, and acted as sheriffs in the court of
quarter-sessions, and as presiding judges in the court
of pleas. The recorder and town-clerk were appointed by the same authority, and continued in
office during the pleasure of the body, with power to
appoint each a deputy to perform their respective
duties. The burgesses at large, who were admitted
to that right by the common-council, were about
350 in number: they were exclusively liable to
serve on juries within the borough, but were exempted elsewhere; and their privileges consisted of
freedom from toll in Denbigh and throughout the
counties of Chester, Stafford, Gloucester, Hereford,
and Salop, and also, until 1802, when the Hênllan
inclosure act was passed, of a right of common over
about 150 acres of very good land.

By the act 5th and 6th of William IV., c. 76, the
corporation is styled the "Mayor, Aldermen, and
Burgesses," and consists of a mayor, four aldermen,
and twelve councillors, together forming the council
of the borough, which is not divided into wards. The
council elect the mayor annually on November 9th,
out of the aldermen or councillors; and the aldermen
triennially from among the councillors, or persons
qualified as such, one-half going out of office every
three years, but being re-eligible: the councillors are
chosen annually on November 1st by and out of the
enrolled burgesses, one-third going out of office every
year. The aldermen and councillors must possess a
property qualification of £500, or be rated at £15
annual value. The burgesses consist of the occupiers
of houses and shops rated for three years to the relief
of the poor. Two auditors and two assessors are
elected annually, on March 1st, by and from among
the burgesses; a recorder is appointed by the crown;
and the council appoint a treasurer, town-clerk, and
other officers, who hold their office during pleasure.
The municipal and parliamentary limits are the same,
extending, as defined by the ancient charters and
confirmed by the "Boundary Act" of the 2nd and
3rd of William IV., to the distance of one mile and a
half in every direction from the centre of the town,
including the parish of Denbigh, formerly called
Whitchurch parish, and parts of the parishes of
Hênllan and Llanrhaiadr. The income of the borough for the year 1833 amounted to about £250, of
which about £100 were derived from tolls, and £90
from an allotment of fifty-six acres and a half of land,
assigned under the Hênllan inclosure act to the corporation, in lieu of the estrays and right of common
which they had enjoyed upon the forest of Lleweni,
in the parish of Hênllan.

Denbigh first received the elective franchise in
the 27th of Henry VIII., and in the year following
Ruthin and Holt were made contributory boroughs,
since which time they have continued jointly to return
one member to parliament: by the act of 1832, for
"Amending the Representation of the People,"
Wrexham was added to this district of boroughs.
The right of election is vested by the same act in the
old resident burgesses of the borough, and in every
male person of full age occupying, either as owner,
or as tenant under the same landlord, a house or
other premises of the annual value of not less than
£10. The number of tenements of this value within
the limits of the borough is about 200. The mayor
is the returning officer.

The corporation has a separate commission of the
peace, consisting of eight magistrates, with exclusive
jurisdiction within the borough; but by the passing
of the Municipal Act, its separate court of quartersessions was abolished. A court baron for the lordship is (or till recently was) held by prescription,
every three weeks, in which debts to the amount of
40s. and upwards are recoverable: this court has also
the power of attaching goods, and, in default of
special bail, of issuing a writ of fieri facias, for levying on them for the debt and costs. The Easter and
Michaelmas quarter-sessions for the county are held
here; and one of the county debt-courts established
in 1847 has been fixed at Denbigh, with jurisdiction
over the parish of Denbigh, and nine other parishes.
The town-hall, which is situated in the centre of the
market-place, was erected in 1572, by Robert, Earl
of Leicester, and was considerably improved and enlarged in 1780. It is an extensive and commodious
building, comprising in the lower part a covered area
for the market, above which are the council-chamber,
in which the business of the corporation is transacted, and a court-room.

The living consists of a discharged rectory and
vicarage, united by an act passed in the 29th and
30th of Charles II., and rated in the king's books at
£23. 17. 3½.; patron, the Bishop of St. Asaph: the
tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of
£400. The ancient parochial church, dedicated to
St. Marcellus, and now in a very dilapidated condition, is situated at Whitchurch, about a mile from
the town, from which place the rectory was transferred by act of parliament to Denbigh, which was
made the head of the parish. In the porch of this
church are two monumental effigies in brass, in a
kneeling posture, of Richard Myddelton, of Gwaynynog, governor of Denbigh Castle in the reigns of
Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, and of his wife
Jane, both of whom were here interred; the latter
died in 1565, and the former ten years subsequently.
In the body of the building is an ill-executed mural
monument to the memory of the learned Welsh antiquary, Humphrey Llwyd, of Foxhall, near Denbigh,
who is represented kneeling at an altar, and in
Spanish costume. He was born in 1527, and, in addition to his great skill in physic and in music, is
celebrated as an excellent rhetorician, a sound philosopher, and a profound antiquary: he was representative in parliament for his native place, and
dying prematurely, was interred here in 1568. There
is also a large altar-tomb to the memory of Sir John
Salusbury and his lady, the former of whom died in
1578. A neat mural monument on the western wall
has been erected, by the Gwyneddigion Society in
London, to the memory of Thomas Edwards, of
Nant, commonly called Twm o'r Nant, the Cambrian
poet, who died on the 3rd of April, 1810, at the age
of seventy-one, and was interred in the churchyard.
All parochial duties are now performed at the chapel
of St. Hilary within the ancient walls, with the exception of funerals, which still take place at Whitchurch, there being no cemetery attached to the
former. The chapel is a spacious structure, in the
later style of English architecture, with various
modern additions, by which its original character,
especially in the northern part, has been destroyed.
St. David's church is of recent erection: the living is
a perpetual curacy, in the gift of the Rector of Denbigh. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Roman Catholics, and Calvinistic and
Wesleyan Methodists, of which that belonging to the
Calvinistic Methodists is large and commodious.

The Free grammar-school was founded in 1727, by
subscriptions from thirty-three individuals, amounting to £340, which were vested in the purchase of
an estate in the parish of Tremerchion, county of
Flint, now under the management of three trustees.
This estate consists of about twenty-nine acres and
a half, paying a rent of £39. 10. per annum; and,
with a previous grant of three acres in the parish of
Hênllan, now producing £15 per annum, by Robert
Lloyd Tanner and Anne Twiston, in 1726, towards
the maintenance of a free grammar-school, and two
small allotments under an inclosure act, constitutes
the foundation of the establishment. The Blue-coat
charity school was founded pursuant to the will of
Mrs. Oldfield, dated 1714, whereby she bequeathed
lands in the parish of Llanrhaiadr, now producing
£91 per annum, for its endowment. This was subsequently augmented by a bequest of £200 by Mr.
Morgan Evans, vested in the three per cents. reduced, and paying an interest of £6; and accumulations of Mrs. Oldfield's charities were vested in the
Old South Sea annuities, and turnpike-tolls, to the
amount of £461, yielding dividends of £15. 19. per
annum. A large and handsome National school has
recently been erected, with aid from the Committee
of Council on Education, and the National Society;
and to this building the Blue-coat school has been removed. A British school has also been established
in the town; there is a Church Sunday school, and
the dissenters have four Sunday schools.

Numerous charitable bequests have been made for
distribution among the poor, amounting in the aggregate to more than £1700; but nearly the whole have
been lost, owing to the charity and corporation funds
having been blended together. The amount at present distributed among the poor, on St. Thomas' day,
is £7. 2. 8., of which £5. 0. 8. are derived from rentcharges, and £2. 2. are the rent of a house in Sandy
lane; and a sum of £1. 12. is paid to the minister
for preaching a lecture at Easter, arising from a
grant for the purpose by William Middleton. A dispensary was instituted in 1807; and the committee of
the Royal Eisteddvod held at Denbigh in 1828,
presented to the corporation £50, the interest to be
applied to apprenticing a poor boy from the parish of
Hênllan, and one from the Blue-coat school of the
town, which has been occasionally carried into effect.
It being considered necessary to erect an hospital for
the insane poor of North Wales, a proposition was
lately made, which has now been satisfactorily accomplished, by the establishment of such an institution in
the neighbourhood of Denbigh, under the patronage
of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The
site was provided through the munificence of the late
Joseph Ablett, Esq., of Llanbedr Hall, who presented a piece of land comprising twenty acres,
valued at £2000, and admirably adapted for the purpose, within half a mile of the town. Towards the
liberal subscription that was raised, Her Majesty the
Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Albert contributed £50 each; the Prince of Wales, one hundred guineas; the late Marquess of Westminster,
Lady Emma Pennant, the late Bishop of St. Asaph,
the Dean of St. Asaph, and the Hon. E. M. Lloyd
Mostyn, £200 each; Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., Sir
R. B. W. Bulkeley, Bart., the Misses Luxmoore, the
Archdeacon of Essex, the Hon. Col. Douglas Pennant, Lord Dinorben, B. W. Cumming, Esq., and
Lord Mostyn, £100 each; Viscount Dungannon and
Lord Kenyon, £50 each; &c. Accommodation of
the best kind has thus been provided for a number of
the poor in North Wales who are suffering from insanity.

Contiguous to the town are the remains of a
priory of Carmelite, or White, friars, dedicated to St.
Mary, said to have been founded before the year 1289,
by John Salusbury, of Lleweni, who, from an inscription on a mutilated brass plate discovered some time
since, is thought to have been buried in the priory
church, which was the mausoleum of his family until
the Reformation. The remains consist principally
of the church, now converted into a malt-house, of
which the eastern window is a fine composition, in
the later style of English architecture, and in excellent preservation: the roof also, a beautiful specimen
of carved oak, is still entire. Various mutilated
effigies, and fragments of tombs, bearing inscriptions
in some instances much defaced, have been discovered
among the ruins of this once stately structure. The
remains are situated at the bottom of Vale-street,
Denbigh, but within the parish of Hênllan.

The castle occupies the summit of the CaledVryn, an isolated limestone rock, rising abruptly to
the height of 240 feet from the western boundary of
the Vale of Clwyd; and incloses an area of considerable extent. Its principal entrance is on the north,
under a lofty and magnificent arch, which is almost
entire, and flanked by two large towers, now in ruins;
above are two niches, in one of which is a robed figure
of the founder, Henry Lacy, in a sitting posture, and
in the other was once a figure of his lady. The rooms
and towers are in a state of the utmost dilapidation.
The citadel is surrounded with walls, a mile and a
quarter in circumference, inclosing the whole of the
ancient town. The principal entrance in the wall is
on the north-west, and is defended by two majestic
towers; these are nearly entire, and from them the
walls extend round the brow of the hill, on the most
elevated and precipitous parts of which numerous
lofty towers have been erected, forming together one
of the strongest bulwarks in the kingdom. There
were two gates on the line of wall, called the Exchequer gate and the Burgess gate, the former from
having been the place where the court for the lordship was held, and the latter from having been appropriated to the same use by the burgesses: over
this last is what is called the Burgess Tower, in
which, when the assizes for the county were held in
Denbigh, the prison was. Within these walls are the
ruins of the church, or chapel, founded by the Earl of
Leicester; and the chapel of St. Hilary, formerly
appropriated to the use of the garrison, and now regarded as the parochial church. The former appears
to have been of very large dimensions, its walls comprising a considerable area, now covered with grass,
in which horses and cattle are pastured: one lofty
arched gateway alone remains, of which it was vulgarly said that the key-stone would one day fall on
the head of the most illustrious man in Denbigh, but
the key-stone was removed many years since, by Dr.
Price, the rector. Within the walls of the fortress
are numerous cottages, which materially diminish the
interest excited by these ruins; and on the southwest front of the castle, and on the boundary wall upon
this side, are an extensive terrace and bowling-green,
commanding one of the richest and most interesting
views of the fertile Vale of Clwyd. The prospect
embraces the whole of the eastern portion of that
beautiful and finely varied tract; it is terminated by
the ocean at Llandulas bay, and on the south by the
entire range of the mountains of Clwyd, with their
numerous camps and tumuli. On this delightful area,
the grand Congress of the Bards, called the Great
Eisteddvod, was held in 1828. According to Leland,
a chapel of ease was built at Denbigh by a person
named Fleming, after whom it was called Capel
Fleming; and near it anciently stood an almshouse,
founded by the same individual, and built of hewn
stone, which, in Leland's time, had already fallen
into decay: no traces of either of these buildings are
now visible.

Among the eminent men who have been connected
with this place, in addition to those already noticed,
was Sir Hugh Myddelton, who was born at Galch
Hill, within half a mile of the town; he was alderman of Denbigh in 1597, and in 1611 presented the
corporation with two maces, and an elegant cup of
silver. In 1608, Sir Hugh succeeded in bringing the
New River to London, upon which occasion he received the honour of knighthood; and in 1622 he
was raised to the baronetage: he represented the
borough in many successive parliaments, and died in
1631. In the park of Gwaynynog, about two miles
from the town, in Hênllan parish, is a monument,
consisting of a tall Grecian urn, resting on a square
pedestal, to the memory of Dr. Samuel Johnson: on
one side is inscribed the time of his death, and on the
other an inscription records that the spot was often
dignified by the presence of that great moralist,
whose writings "gave ardour to virtue and confidence
to truth." The gallant general, Lord Combermere,
was born at Cotton Hall, in the neighbourhood of
the town. Denbigh gives the title of earl to the
family of Fielding.

Denbighshire

DENBIGHSHIRE, a maritime county of
North Wales, bounded on the north by Flintshire,
the Irish Sea, and a detached part of Carnarvonshire;
on the west by Carnarvonshire; on the south by
Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire; on the southeast by the English county of Salop; on the east by
a detached portion of Flintshire; and on the northeast by the English county of Chester. It extends
from 52° 48' to 53° 18' (N. Lat.), and from 2° 54'
to 3° 47' (W. Lon.); and includes an area, according to Evans' Map of North Wales, of 387,600 statute acres, or nearly 606 square miles. The population, in 1841, was 88,866, of whom 44,428 were
males, and 44,438 females; and the number of
houses amounted to 18,437 inhabited, 999 uninhabited, and 168 in course of erection. The annual
value of real property assessed to the property and
income tax, for the year ending April 1843, was as
follows: lands, £284,346; houses, £53,937; tithes,
£17,966; manors, £6970; mines, £4365; quarries,
£1715; iron-works, £1741; other property, £309:
total, £371,349.

At the period of the Roman invasion of Britain,
the territory now forming the county of Denbigh, in
Welsh called Sîr Dinbech, was included in the country
of the Ordovices, a people who, according to Whitaker, extended their dominion over North Wales,
from the districts now forming the county of Salop,
a great part of which, on their advance towards the
north-west, fell into the possession of the Cornavii.
Under the Roman sway it formed a portion of Venedotia, one of the minor divisions of the great province of Britannia Secunda, but it retains hardly any
trace of its occupation by that people. No station
is known to have been situated within its limits; and
the only roads connected with it were, a branch of
the Watling-street, which crossed the northern parts
of it, from the station Varis, at Bodvari or at Caerwys,
on the western confines of Flintshire, to Conovium,
at Caerhên, near Conway, in Carnarvonshire; and
the Via Devana, which, from the station Deva, at
Chester, passed southward within or near the eastern
confines of Denbighshire towards Nidus, at Neath,
in Glamorganshire.

Nothing of importance is recorded concerning this
territory until the reign of Offa, the Anglo-Saxon
King of Mercia, who, to put an end to the predatory
incursions made by the Welsh into the western parts
of his dominions, led a powerful army against them,
pursued them to their fastnesses, and extorted a peace
on his own terms. By these means he annexed to his
former dominions extensive districts, until then possessed by the native Britons, which he colonized with
a Saxon population, and separated from the territories
of the Welsh by the vast ditch and rampart that
bear his name, extending from the estuary of the Dee
to the banks of the Wye, and including in the Mercian territory part of the present county of Denbigh.
To the east of this is another similar boundary line
running nearly parallel with it, at a distance varying from five hundred yards to three miles, and
called Wat's Dyke, of the formation of which there
is no authentic record. Offa's Dyke, however, prevented not the hostile incursions of the Welsh into
the Saxon territories; and the Saxons retaliated by
making dreadful ravages on the more accessible parts
of the country of the Cymry. Egbert, in the year
after his accession to the throne of Wessex, entered
North Wales with a formidable army, devastated the
whole country to the foot of the Snowdon mountains,
and seized upon the seigniory of Rhyvonioc, in Denbighland.

On the death of Rhodri Mawr, or Roderic the
Great, sovereign of all Wales, the greater part of
this county became included in the principality of
North Wales, called by the Welsh Gwynedd, and
the seat of the government of which was at Aberfraw, in Anglesey; while those parts of it lying
eastward and southward of the Vale of Clwyd were
included in the sovereignty of Powys, the seat of
government being at Mathraval, near Meivod, in
Montgomeryshire. Anarawd, son of Roderic, who
succeeded to his kingdom of Gwynedd in 877, was,
a few years afterwards, applied to for an asylum
in his dominions by the remainder of the StrathClyde Britons of the north, who had been long
harassed by the Danes, Saxons, and Scots, and had
lost Constantine, their king, in battle. The prince
received them on the condition of their recovering a
portion of the Saxon territory, on which to settle,
and of their defending it by arms: under the conduct
of one Hobart, they easily dispossessed the Saxons
of the country between the Dee and the Conway,
of which they remained in quiet possession until
Eadred, Earl of Mercia, began to make preparations
for regaining the territory from which he had been
so summarily expelled. The Britons, receiving
early intelligence of his designs, removed their cattle
and goods beyond the Conway, and being promptly
joined by Anarawd with a powerful body of forces,
this prince completely defeated the Saxons at Cymryd, about two miles from the town of Conway,
and pursued them into Mercia, whence his troops
returned to their own country loaded with spoil.
The northern Britons were allowed to establish a
separate state in the conquered country, which included the greater part of the counties of Denbigh
and Flint, and received from its inhabitants the name
of Strath-Clwyd, or Ystrad-Clwyd, from its being
traversed by the river Clwyd. In the contests
maintained for the sovereignty of Wales between the
sons of Hywel Dda and those of Edwal Voel, the
former, assembling their forces in South Wales, laid
waste the territory of North Wales, as far as the
river Conway, on the banks of which they were
encountered by the latter at Llanrwst, where, after a
sanguinary conflict, the sons of Edwal Voel were victorious, pursuing their enemies into South Wales,
and retaliating upon their territories the evils which
had been inflicted on their own.

From this period no event peculiarly affecting
Denbighshire is recorded, until after the conquest of
England by the Normans. Henry II., leading a
large army into North Wales, in the year 1157,
drove Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales, out
of his camp near Northop in Flintshire; and the
latter took up a strong position, since called Cîl
Owain, or "Owain's retreat," near the city of St.
Asaph: on Henry's further advance, Owain retreated
to Bryn-y-Pin, a still stronger post, situated about
five miles to the west of St. Asaph, in this county,
and soon after concluded a peace with the English
monarch, among' other conditions of which, he and
his chieftains submitted to do homage to Henry. A
few years after this, all the princes of Wales, with
Owain at their head, entered into a confederacy for
the recovery of their independence; and the first
enterprise of the revolt was an inroad by Davydd,
son of Owain, into Flintshire, whence he carried off
the inhabitants and the cattle, and brought them into
the Vale of Clwyd. Henry advanced with a small
army to Rhuddlan, in Flintshire, but soon returned
into England, and, having assembled the choicest
troops from every part of his dominions, advanced
into Powys by way of Oswestry in Shropshire. The
combined forces of the Welsh assembled to oppose him
at Corwen, a little beyond the southern border of
Denbighshire; and Henry, desirous of bringing them
to action, led his army to the Ceiriog, a small river
in the south-eastern part of the county, the woods
on the banks of which he ordered to be cut down, to
escape the danger of ambuscades. In attempting to
force a bridge over this river, the English monarch
was aimed at by a Welshman, whose arrow would
inevitably have pierced his body, had not Hubert de
St. Clair, constable of Colchester, sprung forward
and received it in his own. While the English were
cutting down the woods, a strong party of Welsh,
without any orders from their leaders, being acquainted with the ford, crossed the river, and suddenly attacked the van of Henry's army, which was
composed of pikemen: and in the warm action that
ensued, since called the battle of Crogen, many were
slain on both sides. Henry, however, effected the
passage, and advanced across the south-eastern part
of this county, and over the Berwyn mountains, to the
vicinity of Corwen, where he encamped for several
days, the Welsh being posted upon the opposite
heights, and losing no opportunity of cutting off his
supplies. The English army was at length reduced
to great distress, and its difficulties were rendered
still greater by sudden and violent rains; so that
Henry was constrained to return into England with
a heavy loss of men and ammunition. In revenge
for the disappointment of his designs, he commanded
the eyes of the hostages which he had previously received, to be plucked out.

After the death of Llewelyn, the last Prince of
North Wales, his brother Davydd held a meeting
of the Welsh chieftains at Denbigh, of which he
possessed the lordship, when it was determined to
maintain the war against the attacks of the English.
This task, however, proved far beyond their strength;
and Davydd, being soon afterwards taken prisoner
near this place, was put to death as a traitor by the
English monarch, Edward I. About the period of
the subjugation of Wales by Edward, the eastern
parts of this county fell into the hands of English possessors, under very peculiar circumstances: Emma,
widow of Grufydd ab Madoc, who died in 1270, disagreeing with her husband's relatives respecting the
education of her sons (or, as Mr. Pennant thinks,
her grandsons), obtained possession of the eldest two,
and delivered them over as wards to Edward I.
One of them, named Madoc, with his inheritance of
Bromfield and Yale, was placed by that monarch in
charge of John, Earl Warren; and Llewelyn, the
other youth, with his patrimony of Chirk and Nanheudwy, in that of Roger Mortimer, third son of
Roger Mortimer, the son of Ralph, Lord Mortimer,
of Wigtown. These noblemen having obtained possession of the territories above-mentioned, conspired
together, and caused the sons of Grufydd to be
drowned in the river Dee; after the perpetration of
which murder, they each received from the king a
grant of the estates of their respective wards, dated
at Rhuddlan, October 27th, 1281, with the exception of Hope Castle, and the lands thereto appertaining, which Edward retained in his own possession. The first-mentioned lordship continued in the
family of Warren until the year 1347, when it descended by an heiress to the Fitz-Alans, Earls of
Arundel, who purchased from John, grandson of
Roger Mortimer, the lordship of Chirk and Nanheudwy: these united domains remained with the
Fitz-Alans for several generations, and, after repeated
attainders and forfeitures of different heirs, became
finally vested in the crown.

The Lordship of Denbigh was bestowed by Edward I. upon Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who,
among other conciliatory concessions to his new vassals, granted them permission to kill all kinds of wild
animals, except in certain parts reserved for his own
amusement: but the exercise of these privileges
seems to have been abridged by his successors, for,
in the reign of Henry VI. five parks are enumerated in the lordship, viz., Moylewike, Caresnodooke,
Kyfford, Bagh, and Posey, the rangership of which
that monarch gave to Owen Tudor. Lacy erected
a castle at Denbigh to secure his new acquisition,
and converted the village into a walled town, thus
laying the foundation of the importance of the present town. A wide-spread revolt soon compelled
Edward again to head an expedition into North
Wales, on which occasion the Earl of Lincoln, to
preserve his newly-erected castle of Denbigh, advanced before the king, and, arriving under its walls
on November 11th, 1294, was suddenly attacked by
the Welsh insurgents, who, encouraged by the situation of the English, were desirous of hazarding their
fortunes upon the issue of a single battle, in which
the English forces were defeated and compelled to
retire. From the Earl of Lincoln the lordship descended to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, who had married that nobleman's daughter Alicia, and on whose
attainder Edward II. gave it to his favourite, Hugh
le Despencer. After the execution of the latter
nobleman, Edward III. bestowed it on Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, who being a few years subsequently attainted of high treason, the seigniory of
Denbigh was granted by the same king to Montacute, Earl of Salisbury. It was soon restored, however, to the family of Mortimer, in which it remained
until conveyed by marriage to Richard, Duke of York,
on the accession of whose son Edward to the throne
of England, it became vested in the crown. Queen
Elizabeth, in the sixth year of her reign, granted it
to her favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,
at the same time creating him Baron Denbigh; but
on the attainder of this nobleman, the estates reverted to the sovereign.

In 1696, William III. issued a patent, under the
great seal, conferring on William, Earl of Portland,
the lordships of Denbigh, Bromfield, and Yale, without regard to the tenures of persons then occupying
various parts of such estates, by compositions, rents,
and services to the crown, or to the Prince of Wales,
on whom they had been usually settled for his support.
The Welsh landholders, however, aware that such an
unqualified grant would encroach upon their liberty
and property, and form a dangerous precedent, applied
to their representatives to state their grievances before parliament; and the commons, after due deliberation, presented a petition to the king, from the
whole house, earnestly requesting him to recall his
grant of the above-mentioned lordships, with which
the king complied. The lordship of Denbigh, with
the forests (as they are legally termed) of Bromfield
and Yale, still form a part of the landed possessions
of the crown.

The other grand seigniorial territory in the county,
namely, the Lordship of Ruthin, was granted by
Edward I. to Reginald Grey, second son of Lord
Grey, of Wilton, in whose descendants it remained
until the reign of Henry VII. For some valuable
consideration, it was then conveyed to the crown by
George Grey, Earl of Kent, and Baron Ruthin, in
whose family the latter title continued until the death
of Charles Grey, eighth Earl of Kent, after which
the dignity descended by female heirs, through the
families of Longueville and Yelverton, to that of
Talbot, by which it is now enjoyed. The lordship of
Ruthin, after its conveyance to the crown, seems to
have been possessed by the Earl of Warwick. It
subsequently formed part of the estates belonging to
the Myddeltons of Chirk Castle, and in the early part
of the present century was vested in three co-heiresses
of that family: by a decree of Chancery, in 1819, it
was finally settled on one of the three ladies.

To return to the historical events of the county:
Richard II., during his expedition into Ireland, deposited a vast amount of treasure in Holt Castle,
which had been originally erected by Earl Warren,
and which was delivered up to Bolingbroke, in 1399,
prior to the deposition of that unfortunate monarch.
During a fair holden at Ruthin, in the year 1400,
the Welsh chieftain, Owain Glyndwr, suddenly made
a descent upon that place, attacked its castle without
success, and, after pillaging the inhabitants and burning the town, returned to the mountains. In the
wars of the Roses, Edward IV. is said by Leland to
have been besieged in the castle of Denbigh, and
here to have entered into a compact with the Lancastrians, by which he was allowed a safe retreat, on
condition that he should leave the realm, and never
return. Denbigh, among several other strong places
in Wales, was held during the latter part of the year
1459, by Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, for his
half-brother, Henry VI.; but in the following year it
was taken by the Yorkists. In 1468, the earl is
said to have returned into Wales, and, being joined
by a large body of forces, to have pillaged and burned
the town of Denbigh. The statute of the 27th of
Henry VIII., which for ever abrogated the peculiar
jurisdictions of the lordships marcher, at the same
time incorporated the lands subject to such jurisdictions in new and additional counties, of which this of
Denbigh is one.

The inhabitants of the county took a very active
part in the great CIVIL WAR of the seventeenth century. According to a manuscript preserved in the
Wynnstay library, and printed in the Archæologia
Cambrensis for January 1846, the county in 1642
"presented his Matie. a petition for protection against
the orders and ordinances of parliament, and gave the
king a compleate regiment of volunteers, and £1000:
this petition was presented to his Mtie. at Yorke,
ye 4th of August, and the commission of array put
in execution through the whole county." An order
was addressed to the commissioners of array for the
county, in the following terms:—"1642. Charles Rex.
Right trusty and wellbeloved, wee greete you well.
Whereas a rebellion being raysed against us, and are
marching towards us, wee are necessitated for the
defence of our person and crowne, and the religion
and lawe established, to call upon all our good subjects to assist us. And whereas we are fully persuaded of the affection and loyalty of that our county,
and their readiness to assist us, theire kinge and liege
lord in this owre and theire necessary defence, according to their duty and allegiance;—These are to
will and require you, for that [end] and with all possible speede, to bring into Chester to our royall standard, there to attend our farther directions, the traine
bands of that county, as well horse as foote, with such
other volunteers as your interest in them and their
owne affection shall perswade to come with them.
And if the necessary occasions of any of our trayned
bands shall withhold them, then either their sonn or
servant or there volunteeres bee admitted to serve in
there places, with there harness compleate; which
trayned bands and volunteers, with those from other
of our counties in our dominions of Wales, wee intend to forme into regiments for a gard for our dearest sonn the prince, and receave into our pay upon
their arrival at Chester. Whether we desire that
our county in this so greate exigence do furnish them
with sufficient ammunition for the journey, and
money to beare their charges, which we shall look
upon as a great expression of affection and fidelity,
and shall at all times remember to their advantage.
And wee do require all justices of peace in yt our
county, to give assistance to you herein, and all our
lovinge subjects of that same, to be obedient to yr
directions in pursuance of these our commands. And
for so doing, this shall bee to you and them a sufficient warrant. Given at our court at Darby, this
15th of September, 1642." The manuscript above
mentioned, after giving this proclamation, goes on to
state, that on the 27th September the King "came
to Wrexam, and vywed the trayn bands of Bromffield
and Chirke," two hundreds in the county; and that,
on the 3rd October, he again came to the same town,
and "vywed the traine bands of the hole county, who
weare to marche the morrowe after to Shrewsbury
for a gard to the prince."

In the beginning of the next year, Chirk Castle,
the property of Sir Thomas Myddelton, who represented Denbighshire in parliament, was taken and
plundered by Colonel Robert Ellyce, at the command of the king himself. Towards the close of the
year, on the 9th of November, "Holt brige was
taken by Sir Thomas Myddelton and Sir William
Brereton, who presently entered Wrexam;" and
about the same time, Denbigh Castle was garrisoned
for the cause of Charles, by William Salusbury, a
gentleman of the neighbourhood, with the aid of the
inhabitants of the town, and the gentry of the
country round. In February 1644, Prince Rupert
appears to have been at Chirk Castle, on his way to
Chester. In the autumn of this year, "Sir Thomas
Myddelton and Colonel Mytton, with all their forces
from Montgomeryshire and Shropshire, mett at Llangollen; and, the 20th of October, began violently to
assault the castle of Ruthyn, and soe continuinge for
two dayes, and not conceaving hopes of forcing it,
retreated." At the end of the following month of
January, Myddelton "invaded the lower parts of
Denbighshire." Prince Maurice is recorded in the
narrative from which these quotations are made, to
have passed a night at Chirk Castle, and thence to
have gone through Ruthin, towards Chester, in February 1645. The king himself was at the same
castle in September, having previously "given proclamation among his souldiers that they should not
plunder anything in Denbighshire:" he thence advanced to Chester, and, after the battle of Rowton
Moor, retreated from the city to Denbigh Castle,
and proceeded again to Chirk, on his way into England. Soon afterwards, the parliamentarian forces
under General Mytton gained an important victory
near Denbigh, over the royalist troops commanded
by Sir William Vaughan, slaying about one hundred,
taking nine hundred prisoners, and dispersing the remainder. "Ruthyn Castle was surrendered to the
parliament, 12th April," 1646: Chirk Castle had
been deserted by its royalist governor, Sir John
Watts, several weeks before; and in the month of
October, Denbigh was surrendered for the use of the
parliament, to General Mytton; to whom also Holt
Castle was given up in January 1647. The defence
at Denbigh was remarkable for the bravery with
which it was conducted, and the garrison surrendered
only on the most honourable terms. Some years
afterwards, in 1659, Sir Thomas Myddelton, now a
royalist, having, with Sir George Booth, declared
himself in favour of the restoration of Charles II.,
became obnoxious to the ruling power, and his castle
of Chirk was besieged and taken by the troops under
the command of General Lambert. Since this period,
no events of importance have occurred in connexion
with the county.

Denbighshire is in the diocese of St. Asaph,
and province of Canterbury: the total number of
parishes is fifty-eight, of which twenty-three are rectories, twenty-one vicarages, and fourteen perpetual
curacies. For purposes of civil government it is
divided into the six hundreds of Bromfield, Chirk,
Isaled, Isdulas, Ruthin, and Yale. It contains the
borough and market towns of Denbigh, Ruthin, and
Wrexham, the last having been added to the district
of boroughs by the Reform Act of 1832; the borough
of Holt, and the market-towns of Llangollen and
Llanrwst. One knight was formerly returned to parliament for the shire, and one representative is now
returned for Denbigh and the three other boroughs
conjointly; the county is now entitled, under the late
act, to the return of two members, who, with the
member for the boroughs, are elected at Denbigh:
the polling-places for the shire are Denbigh, Llangollen, Llanrwst, and Wrexham. The county is included in the North Wales circuit; the assizes are
held at Ruthin, and the quarter-sessions at Wrexham
and Denbigh alternately: the county gaol is at
Ruthin, and the county houses of correction, or
bridewells, are at Ruthin and Wrexham. There
are about forty acting magistrates. It comprises the
poor-law union of Ruthin, and parts of the unions of
Wrexham, St. Asaph, Llanrwst, Conway, Corwen,
and Llanvyllin.

The form of the county is extremely irregular; and
beyond its south-eastern extremity is a small detached
portion, comprising part of the village of Llanymynech, bounded on the west by the river Tanat, and
on the south by the Vyrnwy (which streams separate
the portion from Montgomeryshire), and on the east
and north by Shropshire. Its surface and scenery are
much diversified: and the rugged and mountainous
features of the principality are here conspicuous,
though frequently softened into picturesque beauty by
an intermixture of varied fertility. The hundred of
Yale, in the eastern part of the county, is for the most
part mountainous, bleak, and barren. This elevated
district, almost the only produce of which is heath,
is formed by the Clwydian and Hiraethog range of
mountains, which, with its dependent hills, also forms
the greater part of the elevated wastes that occupy
so much of every other district of the county: this
range is in the form of the Roman letter U, its two
sides running parallel with each other, and inclosing
the beautiful Vale of Clwyd. The north-eastern, or
Clwydian wing, entering within the north-eastern
border of the county from the vicinity of Ysceiviog
in Flintshire, presents a variety of limestone and
argillaceous strata in its course by Yale, Minera, the
Vrondeg hills, Eglwyseg lime-works, Oernant slatequarries, and Cevn dû, to Bryn Eglwys, where it
completes the curve which connects it with the southwestern, or Hiraethog range. This latter wing extends from above Derwen, on the southern border of
the county, to Eglwys-Bâch, on the river Conway,
its north-western extremity, and forms one of the
most extensive and dreary wastes in the whole principality, being from twenty-five to thirty miles in
length, and varying in breadth from five to nine
miles: its chief covering is heath. Among these
hills, in the western part of the county, are several
small lakes, which give rise to numerous meandering
streams. The hills on the coast extend no farther
eastward than Abergele, where the country begins
gradually to sink into the extensive plain of Morva
Rhuddlan, which stretches eastward into Flintshire.
By much the greater part of the far-famed Vale of
Clwyd is in this county, in which it extends in length
more than twenty miles, and in breadth generally
from five to seven: thickly studded with villages
and seats, its appearance is rendered still more pleasing by being inclosed by mountains, whose brown
and barren summits form a fine contrast with the
verdant meads and luxuriant fields below. The
dreary appearance of the desert moors is also in
many parts relieved by small and fertile valleys
watered by sprightly streams, one of the principal of
which is that called the Valley of Yale. Bromfield,
by far the most important division of the county
with regard to population and wealth, was anciently
called Maelor Cymreig, "Welsh Maelor," to distinguish it from the detached portion of Flintshire, on
the opposite side of the Dee, called Maelor Saesneg,
"English Maelor:" lying to the north and west of
the Dee, and to the south and east of the Alyn
river, Bromfield in its western parts shares in the
wild and mountainous character of the adjoining
hundred of Yale; but the greater portion of it is
fertile, pleasant, and highly cultivated. Chirk, anciently called Gwayn, forming the south-eastern extremity of the county, almost wholly consists of hills,
of which the two most conspicuous are Cader Verwyn
and Cevn Uchâ, forming part of the Berwyn range
of mountains, which, from the vicinity of the village
of Chirk, extends south-westward into Shropshire,
Montgomeryshire, and Merionethshire. The mountains of Denbighshire are not among the highest in
Wales: some of the most remarkable elevations are,
Moel Vammau, 1845 feet above the level of the sea;
Cyrn-y-Brain mountain, 1858 feet; Moel Venlli,
1767; Craig Eglwyseg, 1688; Moel Arthur, 1491;
Pen-y-Cloddiau, 1452; Moelvre Uchâ, 1234; Llanelian, 1110; and Moelvre Isâ, 1037 feet.

The climate is very various in different situations. On the hills the air is generally cold and
sharp, for even the westerly winds, during the greater
part of the year, are deprived of their genial mildness
in their passage to this county by the snow-clad
heights of the Snowdon range; and the more elevated districts are wholly exposed to the east and
north: this keenness of the air, however, added to
the dryness of the soil, renders the inhabitants of the
more hilly regions particularly hardy and robust. The
atmosphere of the valleys is milder and more humid;
but the Vale of Clwyd, as it opens northward to the
sea, is exposed to the full violence of boreal blasts,
which are nevertheless supposed to contribute to the
salubrity for which it is celebrated; its inhabitants
are distinguished for the soundness of their constitutions, and their longevity. On some parts of the
Hiraethog hills no grain is sown but the hardy oat;
and so unpropitious is the climate there, that in some
years it never ripens, but is quite green in the month
of October.

The SOILS vary in richness, in proportion as their
situation is more or less favourable for receiving
alluvial deposits from higher grounds. Strong loams,
excellently adapted for the cultivation of wheat, &c.,
and for permanent pastures, occupy the Vale of
Clwyd below Ruthin; a low maritime tract in the
vicinity of Abergele; the banks of the Conway near
Marl, and upwards towards Maenan and Trêvriw;
the borders of the Dee adjoining Cheshire; and
much of the detached portion of the county bordering
on the river Vyrnwy. Free loams, adapted for the
general purposes of tillage, are found in patches adjoining to, or intermingling with, the strong loams;
as also in the Vale of Clwyd, above Ruthin; in the
valley of Llanrwst, above Trêvriw; in small proportions in the valley of the Tanat, and in the lower
parts of the smaller valleys. Light soils, consisting
of various admixtures of sandy loams, rounded pebbles, gravel, and peat, more particularly adapted for
the culture of barley, peas, turnips, &c., abound in
the valleys, especially in their higher recesses, and
on slopes having a southern aspect: the soils of this
kind on the limestone, though shallow, are fertile.
Ferny soil, or hazel mould, of various colours, occurs
in small tracts, intermingled with the foregoing soils,
and on the sides of the inferior hills, naturally producing fern, broom, furze, and underwood of various
kinds, particularly hazel and hawthorn. On the slate
hills, and on the slopes of the lesser valleys, is found
till, or a hungry light mould, tinged with oxyde of
iron, producing mountain-ash, birch, and dwarf furze.
Some parts of the Vale of Clwyd have their soils
tinged by a substratum of a reddish sandstone, of
loose texture; and a similar soil touches the county
at Holt, on the river Dee. The dry argillaceous
strata of which most of the mountains consist, are
generally covered with a thin coat of light peat,
having a substratum of till or of shale, and overrun
with common heath. The hollows and levels of the
Hiraethog mountains abound with a considerable
depth of excellent peat for fuel, which is so closegrained that if cut with a sharp instrument, when dry,
it presents a polished surface.

About a third part of the vales of Denbighshire
is under tillage, producing great quantities of grain
for exportation. The common corn crops are wheat,
barley, and oats. Wheat is commonly cut with the
reaping hook; and barley, in the Vale of Clwyd,
with cradled scythes. Rye is occasionally grown;
as also are peas, though to a much less extent than
formerly: beans are hardly ever seen. The culture
of turnips was introduced into the county about the
year 1765, and though it has made more progress
here than in the other counties of North Wales, it is
yet far from being extensive. Potatoes are grown
for home consumption. The most common artificial
grass is red clover, with which rye-grass is sometimes
mixed; some of the clover is seeded: for the hilly districts hay seeds are obtained from Anglesey. Only
the meadows of the Vale of Clwyd, and those bordering on the Dee and the Vyrnwy, are rich enough to
fatten cattle: the hilly parts of the county rear great
quantities of cattle, to be sold lean to the graziers of
richer districts. Artificial irrigation is assiduously
practised in all convenient situations. In the more
fertile vales of the eastern parts of the county, the grass
lands are chiefly appropriated to the dairy, the produce of which, in both cheese and butter, is conveyed
in considerable quantities to the markets of Chester,
Shrewsbury, and Bridgnorth. The greater part of
the cheese is made and sold as Cheshire cheese; a
small quantity as Gloucester: annatto is used for
colouring in the lowlands, but seldom in the uplands.
Lime is the most general manure, where it can be
conveniently obtained: it is frequently burned in sod
kilns, on the field to be manured. Sea-thong, or
sea-weed, is collected in considerable quantities on
the coast after storms, and is highly valued as a manure. Shell-sand, containing a proportion of from
two-thirds to four-fifths of decayed shells, is sometimes imported in sloops from the coasts of Carnarvonshire and Anglesey, for the same purpose, and is
the most fertilizing of all. The "Lummas plough,"
a variation of the Rotherham plough, is in almost
universal use, having been first introduced, in place
of the large old-fashioned plough, about the year
1760. The Scotch plough, drawn by two horses
abreast, is also occasionally seen; but the horseteams more generally draw singly: oxen are commonly yoked in pairs.

The Cattle of the high lands are almost wholly of
the diminutive race which occupies so much the
greater part of North Wales. Their colour is chiefly
black; their horns long, and curving upwards; and
their particular value consists in their extreme hardiness, owing to which they may be reared on their
scanty pastures at little expense or trouble. In the
vales the cattle are of a superior kind, larger, and of
all varieties of colour: those reared in the maritime
plain extending from Abergele eastward are distinguished for their aptitude to fatten. The Sheep in
the mountainous districts are also small and hardy,
having generally white faces and legs, sometimes
horns, and their wool is commonly coarse; the weight
of their carcass varies from seven to twelve lb. per
quarter; that of their fleece, from three-quarters of
a lb. to two lb. and a half. Another native breed is
that which occupies the south-eastern and eastern
parts of the county, from the border of Montgomeryshire to Wrexham; they have black faces, and as
fine wool as any sheep in the island, that of the
Ryeland breed only excepted: the mutton of those
fed on the limestone lands is reckoned particularly
delicious. Other breeds, of various kinds and
crosses, are kept by individuals in the inclosed
districts. Hogs are most numerous in the dairy
district. In the vales, excellent draught Horses,
both for the coach and for the wagon, are obtained; their colour is generally black or bay, and
they are strong, active, and well made.

Towards the eastern border of the county are some
orchards, from which, in plentiful seasons, cider and
perry are made for home consumption. The most
extensive woodlands are in the Vale of Clwyd and on
the eastern border of the county: on the latter side,
are about five hundred acres in the parish of Chirk
only. The woods around Erthig, or Erddig, are
distinguished for their luxuriance, and the taste with
which they have been formed: this is the only spot
in North Wales where the song of the nightingale is
known to have been heard. Some of the most flourishing trees in the Vale of Clwyd are, the oak, sycamore, ash, chestnut, elm, and poplar.

The inclosures of waste lands, since the year 1790,
when they formed one-half of the county, have been
very numerous and extensive. The more elevated
regions, being sterile, and having so ungenial an aspect, are applied with most profit, as already observed, to the rearing of lean cattle. Some parts
of the Vale of Clwyd are rendered of very little
value by stagnant water for which there is no outlet,
and which causes the soil to produce little besides
rushes and other coarse aquatic grasses; but much
of this land has been greatly improved by draining
and embanking. Coal is the common fuel, except
in the districts most distant from the pits, where peat
is used. In the year 1796, an agricultural society
was established at Wrexham, which extends the
sphere of its transactions over the country around
that town, to the distance of twenty miles in every
direction. In the Vale of Clwyd is a farmers' club,
which holds its meetings monthly.

The GEOLOGY of the county is interesting, and its
mineral productions are various and important, consisting chiefly of coal, iron and lead ores, slates,
limestone, and freestone. The Berwyn range of
mountains is composed of primitive schistus, that is,
such as does not contain iron pyrites, or any impressions or remains of organized bodies; the position of
the strata being at the same time nearly perpendicular. The greater part of it lies in thick irregular
laminæ, intersected in different places by veins of
quartz; but the slates that are quarried are unmixed
with quartz, and frequently incline in their position
considerably from the perpendicular: the position of
the strata is most irregular on the eastern descent of
Trim-y-Sarn, and the southern side of Llangollen
Vale. On the border of Flintshire, the Clwydian
hills consist of argillaceous shale, which, proceeding
south-eastward, is bounded on the north-east by the
limestone of that county, and on the south-west by
that bordering the Vale of Clwyd: from Moel Accre
to where this range joins the Hiraethog mountains,
at the head of the Vale of Clwyd, limestone and
argillaceous strata are met with alternately. The
Hiraethog range consists of shale, with grey mountain rock, or semi-indurated whinstone, and flags
used for flooring and for tombstones: this is bounded
on the east by limestone, and on the west is intersected by narrow tracts of grey limestone, which run
transversely to the direction of the chain of hills.
The great LIMESTONE tract of North Wales commences in an abrupt precipice, about 900 feet
high, at Llanymynech, in the detached part of the
county; and thence proceeding northward, the range
of hills of which it is composed forming the western boundary of the plain of Salop, it is found successively at Porth-y-Waûn, Coed Trêvlech, Soughton, Cyrn-y-Bwch, Bryn-y-Garth, and the Vron.
Near the last place it reaches the river Dee, and
making a turn towards the north-west, it extends
over almost the whole county of Flint, and a great
part of that of Denbigh. The south-westernmost
line of rocks may be traced from Trevor, on the
northern side of the Dee, by the bold rocks of
Eglwyseg near Valle Crucis Abbey, the heights of
Yale, and the upper extremity of the Vale of Clwyd,
down the south-western side of that beautiful district
from Llanelidan to Evenechtyd, Coed Marchan,
Llanrhaiadr, Denbigh, Meriadog, and Llandulas;
and terminates in the cliffs overhanging the sea at
Llandudno, or Orme's Head, in Carnarvonshire.
The north-easternmost range passes the collieries and
freestone-quarries at Ruabon to Minera, and thence
runs parallel with the former into Flintshire.

Eastward and north-eastward of this limestone,
which, in geological position, rests upon the slate,
is a rich tract of COAL MEASURES, resting upon the
limestone, from which they dip eastward while it
ranges northward, and north-eastward when its direction is changed to the north-west. The thickest
seam, at Brymbo, near Wrexham, is fifteen feet;
further south, at Ruabon, nine feet; at Chirk, seven
feet; and at Llwyn-y-Maen, and other places near
Oswestry, only six feet; while at the southern
extremity of the field, at Alderbury, in Shropshire,
there are no seams thicker than from eighteen inches
to two feet: the dip of the strata varies from two
yards in three to one yard in seven. The coal is of
different qualities; the most bituminous species is
called binding, or coking coal, while other kinds,
having less bitumen, and exhibiting varieties of fracture, are called stone coal, hard coal, run splent, &c.:
the latter are most useful for domestic purposes, as
they do not cohere in burning, or leave many cinders,
but emit a clear flame and diffusive heat. The principal coal-pits are in the vicinities of Wrexham and
Ruabon, and at Black Park near Chirk.

Iron-ore of a peculiarly excellent quality is found
in connexion with the coal strata, and is raised in
great quantity. At Acrevair, in the parish of Ruabon, the New British Iron Company have three blast
furnaces, making about 300 tons of iron weekly, and
forges and mills capable of converting it into malleable iron: these works, with the ironstone-mines and
collieries connected with them, give employment to
from 1400 to 1500 men and boys. There are also
extensive iron-mines, two blast furnaces, some foundries, &c., at Brymbo, near Wrexham. The Lead-ore
is chiefly found in the limestone, though in some
places in a gritstone, and in others in a blackish shale:
the principal mines are, that at Minera, near Wrexham, and those in the parish of Llanverras, which
have been worked for a long series of ages, but are
not now in operation. About twenty-six tons of leadore were raised near Llangollen in the year 1846;
and the calcareous rocks of Coed Marchan, in the
neighbourhood of Ruthin, of Llanverras, and Llanarmon, and along the sea-coast, are also known to
contain ores of this metal. A green, dusty, rich ore,
called by the miners copper-malm, is found in the
Llanymynech lime-rocks, whence many tons of it
have, at different times, been exported to be smelted:
calamine also exists in great quantities at the same
place. The Limestone is of an excellent quality, and
very white in its efflorescence after calcination: it is
worked in almost innumerable places. The principal
Slate quarries are in the south-eastern part of the
county, being those of Oernant near Llangollen, and
Glyn Ceiriog. To the former there is a branch from
the Ellesmere canal, and the latter are within five miles
of the same canal at Chirk. The slates obtained at
the former place are more durable than those of the
latter, which, when exposed to the action of sulphuric
acid, shew symptoms of decomposition in four days.
Chert is found at Trêvarclawdd, near Oswestry, and
on the Llêchrydau hills, near Glyn Ceiriog. On the
banks of the Dee, between Overton and Bangor, are
great quantities of ductile Clays, that will bear calcination, but are not used by any pottery. At Rhôsy-Medre and Cevn Mawr, near Ruabon, are manufactories of coarse earthenware, and some excellent quarries of freestone from which blocks of a very large size
can be obtained. A zinc-work has been established in
the same part of the county. Carbonate of lime, in
the various forms of spars, stalactites, and coarse mineral agaric, are found at Trevor, near Llangollen.

A principal article of manufacture is what are provincially called webs, and, by the London drapers,
Welsh plains, or cottons, a coarse sort of thick, white,
woollen cloth, made in pieces from 90 to 120 yards
in length. This is confined to the small district of
Glyn, which comprises a few parishes to the north
and west of the town of Oswestry in Shropshire, and
contains eleven fulling-mills. The webs here made
are termed by the drapers "small cloth," to distinguish them from those manufactured in Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire, which are about oneeighth of a yard broader. Instead of lambs' wool, in
this manufacture, the clothiers mix, with the woofing
of the coarse sort of webs, flocks from the fullingmills, and, with the finer sort, combings from Yorkshire and Lancashire, generally in the proportion of
about one-third. The market for the Glyn webs is
held every Wednesday, at the town-hall in Oswestry.
The southern parts of the county share in the manufacture of knit woollen stockings and socks, of which
Bala, in Merionethshire, is the centre: the northern
boundary of this manufacture extends from Bettws,
in Merionethshire, by Yspytty-Ivan and Llanrwst,
in this county, to Penmachno, in Carnarvonshire;
and next to Bala, the principal market for these
stockings is at Llanrwst. In the Vale of Llangollen
is a factory for spinning cotton yarn, and weaving it
by means of power-looms. Many skins of the native
sheep, and foreign lamb and kid skins, dressed at
Dôlgelley, in Merionethshire, are brought to Denbigh, and manufactured into shoes and gloves, the
former of which are sent to Liverpool, to be exported
to the West Indies, and the latter are sent to London,
Bristol, and other places. About 150 persons in the
county are employed in the nail manufacture, and
near Wrexham are some large paper-mills.

Notwithstanding that this is geographically a maritime county, it possesses neither sea-port nor haven;
and as none of its rivers, except the Conway near its
mouth, are navigable, while flowing through it or
upon its borders, its natural facilities for water-carriage are very limited. It has, however, the advantage of two excellent lines of railway, the Chester
and Holyhead and the Chester and Shrewsbury, by
the latter of which great facilities are afforded for the
exportation of its mineral produce, and which is assisting to develop the resources of the coal and iron
districts of the county in the most effectual manner.
Means of conveyance are provided, likewise, by the
Ellesmere line of navigation. The chief exports are,
lean cattle, and sheep: webs, stockings, shoes, and
gloves; lead, coal, and malleable and manufactured
iron; slates; and butter, cheese, and bacon: the
principal imports, besides the various kinds of shopgoods for the ordinary supply of the inhabitants, are,
dressed skins, to be manufactured at Denbigh. The
produce of the greater part of the county in wool is
either sold to the adjoining manufacturing districts,
or taken to the fairs of Chester and Shrewsbury,
where it is purchased by the clothiers of the North
of England. One of the fairs held at Wrexham was
formerly the greatest fair in North Wales; it commences on the 23rd of March, and there were brought
to it great quantities of Yorkshire cloths, and Lancashire and Sheffield manufactured goods, supplying
nearly the whole of North Wales, and a great part of
South Wales, for the ensuing year. Owing, however, to the improvement of the roads leading into
the interior of Wales, this mart has gradually declined, and few tradesmen now attend it. A wool
fair was established at Denbigh in the year 1808.

The principal RIVERS are the Dee, the Clwyd,
and the Conway; besides which, the smaller rapid
streams, coming down from the mountains towards
these three great channels, or from the south-eastern
extremity of the county towards the Severn, are
very numerous. The Dee, descending from Llyn
Tegid, or Bala lake, in Merionethshire, enters a
few miles below the small town of Corwen, in that
county, and crosses the south-eastern part of Denbighshire from east to west, along the beautiful Vale
of Llangollen. On reaching the eastern side of Denbighshire it becomes its boundary, and forms the line
of division between England and Wales; then, flowing north-eastward, it separates from this county, in
a very devious part of its course, the large isolated
portion of Flintshire, which for several miles occupies
its eastern bank. Afterwards becoming the boundary of Cheshire, it takes a northern course towards
the city of Chester, and wholly quits Denbighshire
at its north-eastern extremity, at Holt. The chief
tributaries of the Dee from this county are, the Alwen,
which has its source in one of the lakes in the western part of the county, and flows south-eastward into
Merionethshire; the Ceiriog, a torrent which descends from the slate mountains in the hundred of
Chirk, and joins the Dee below Brynkinalt, in the
parish of Chirk; the Clywedog, which it receives from
the westward, a little below Bangor in Flintshire;
and the Alyn, which, rising among the hills about
Llandegla, flows northward into Flintshire, where it
makes an extraordinarily circuitous course, again
touching Denbighshire in the vicinity of Gresford,
from which village it runs eastward to the Dee, a
little below Holt.

The Clwyd descends northward from a small
lake among the hills on the southern border of the
county: having flowed past the town of Ruthin, it
reaches the border of Flintshire, below the village of
Llandyrnog, and, taking a north-western direction,
enters that county in the vicinity of St. Asaph. In
its course along the rich and spacious vale to which
it gives name, it is joined by numerous streams from
the mountains on either side. Its chief tributary is
the Aled, which descends in a very irregular northeastern course from the mountains near the source of
the Alwen, in the south-western part of this county,
and joins the Clwyd in Flintshire. The Conway,
issuing out of the small lake called Llyn Conway, at
the point of junction of the shires of Denbigh, Merioneth, and Carnarvon, makes a rapid descent northward in successive cataracts, almost immediately
becoming the boundary between the counties of
Denbigh and Carnarvon. Emerging from under the
wooded cliff of Gwydir, it rushes into the beautiful
Vale of Nantconway, and, a few miles below the
handsome bridge of Llanrwst, enters the eastern
confines of Carnarvonshire, between which and Denbighshire, after a course of a few miles, it again
becomes the boundary, and so continues until below
Llansantfraid, where, fast increasing in breadth, it
again enters Carnarvonshire. The Conway is navigable up to Llanddoget, in this county, near which
place the tide ends. The south-eastern extremity of
the county is bounded on the south-west by the rivers
Rhaiadr and Tanat successively; the former, about
midway in this line, falling into the latter, which in
its further course to the Severn is joined by a small
stream from the hundred of Chirk.

The Ellesmere canal, which forms a communication between the navigable channels of the rivers
Mersey, Dee, and Severn, was originally designed
to pass from Chester, through the eastern part of the
county of Flint, and, entering Denbighshire in the
parish of Gresford, to have proceeded southward
through the eastern part of this county, to Shrewsbury; thus also opening a direct communication
between Chester and the great coal district of Denbighshire. But, owing to the broken and unsound
state of the country, caused by the various excavations which had been made for coal and other minerals, it was found necessary to abandon the construction of the above-mentioned line, in the country
lying between Chester and the vicinity of Ruabon,
to which latter a branch of the main canal now extends northward from the vicinity of Ellesmere, terminating on the northern side of the Dee, at Pont-yCysylltau. Here it is met by several tramroads from
the collieries, furnaces, and forges in the parish of
Ruabon; and adjacent to it are basins, wharfs, and
warehouses, which afford facilities for a considerable
trade in the mineral produce of the country. Hence
a branch extends up the northern bank of the Dee to
Trevor, Llangollen, and the vicinity of the Oernant
slate-quarries, near Llantysillio, where it receives a
powerful stream of water from the river Dee, turned
into it by a very extensive weir and flood-gates, and
thus supplying an extent of nearly forty miles of the
main canal and its branches. At Pont-y-Cysylltau the
principal branch crosses the river Dee and the Vale of
Llangollen upon a magnificent aqueduct, constructed
partly of cast-iron, 1007 feet long, and 126 feet 8
inches high above the bed of the river. From the
southern end of this aqueduct it is conveyed, by
means of a high embankment about 500 yards in
length, to the same side of the valley; passes the
Vron lime-works; and then, after being carried
through a tunnel, proceeds between the village and
castle of Chirk, within a very short distance of
Black Park colliery, from which there is a tramroad
leading to a wharf on its banks. It then enters
another tunnel, on emerging from which, near the
village of Chirk, it is conveyed across the valley and
river of Ceiriog, into Shropshire, by a second aqueduct of freestone, of ten arches, 700 feet in length, and
70 feet above the surface of the ground. Proceeding
towards Shrewsbury, a branch from the vicinity of
Frankton takes a south-western direction to the Llanymynech lime-works, in the detached part of the
county, on the borders of Shropshire and Montgomeryshire. Here terminates, in this direction, the property of the Ellesmere Canal Company, and the navigation is continued to Welshpool and Newtown by the
Montgomeryshire canal, the work of a separate company, which hence crosses the river Vyrnwy into the
county of Montgomery, on an aqueduct of five arches,
each of forty-five feet span, and twenty-five feet high
above the ordinary level of the water in the river
beneath: there are, besides, various smaller arches
for the passage of flood water. From the lime-rocks
at Llanymynech a tramway, about two miles and a
half in length, greatly facilitates the conveyance to
the boats on the canal. The total length of the
branch canal which terminates at Pont-y-Cysylltau,
is a little more than eleven miles; that of the navigable feeder which extends to the Dee at Llantysillio, nearly six miles; and that of the Ruabon
brook tramway, which proceeds from the termination
of the canal at Pont-y-Cysylltau to Ruabon brook,
three miles and a quarter.

The Chester and Holyhead railway, opened in the
year 1848, enters the county of Denbigh from Rhyl,
in Flintshire, by crossing the river Clwyd near its
mouth. The line passes along the sea-coast, and in
the course of a few miles reaches the vicinity of
Abergele, where a station is fixed. It then runs
between Gwrych Castle and the sea, and by the
village of Llandulas, into the parish of Llŷsvaen,
&c., in a detached part of Carnarvonshire; leaving
which, it runs along the vale of Mochdre, in the
county of Denbigh, into the main body of Carnarvonshire. The Chester and Shrewsbury railway, also
opened in 1848, enters the county from Pulford,
in Cheshire, and at a distance of two miles reaches
the village and station of Rossett; it then crosses
the river Alyn, runs through the hill of Rofts, and
into the beautiful vale of Gresford, where a station
is placed, about 300 yards from the village of Gresford. Proceeding along some embankments and
deep cuttings, the line passes Gwersyllt Hall on the
right, and, a little further on, Acton Park on the
left. It soon after reaches Wrexham, and passes
thence by the domain of Erddig, to Ruabon, the
centre of a fine mineral district; after which, leaving
Wynnstay on the left, it crosses the river Dee by a
stupendous viaduct, nearly one-third of a mile in
length (noticed in the article Llangollen), and
runs by Chirk, then along a shorter viaduct, into the
county of Salop. There are stations at Wrexham
and Ruabon, and a branch has been formed to
Minera, near Wrexham. The roads of Denbighshire are in general good, the materials for making
and repairing them being abundant and of good
quality: their extent has also of late years been
greatly increased. The road from London to Holyhead, by Shrewsbury, enters it from Oswestry at the
village of Chirk, and crosses its south-eastern extremity, through Llangollen, to Corwen in Merionethshire, beyond which it again passes for some
distance within its southern boundary. That from
London to Holyhead, by Chester, runs across the northern part of the county, from St. Asaph in Flintshire, through Abergele, to Conway in Carnarvonshire: a branch from this, at the village of Northop
in Flintshire, passes through Denbigh, and rejoins
the main road at Conway.

The antiquities of the county may now be
noticed. It contains no remains of Roman occupation, unless the vast mining level which pierces the
limestone hill at Llanymynech be of Roman formation: in this, now called Yr Ogov, or "the cavern,"
have been found various Roman coins and other interesting antiquities, besides numerous skeletons.
On one of the sloping sides of the same hill is raised
a stupendous rampart of loose stones, accompanied
by a deep fosse, beyond which are two other fosses,
cut in the rock with immense labour. A large number of Roman coins has been likewise found on the
mountain called Moel Venlli, seemingly indicating
that this fortified post was occupied by the Romans
during their sway over the country, though it appears to be of purely British construction. The
most ancient monument of known date is the Pillar
of Eliseg, raised in memory of a British chieftain of
that name, slain in battle against the Saxons, near
Chester, in the year 607: it is situated about two
miles from Llangollen. Offa's Dyke, still by the
Welsh designated by the synonymous appellation of
Clawdd Offa, may be plainly traced in nearly the
whole of its course through this county. It enters
from the north-western part of Shropshire, in crossing
the river Ceiriog to Glyn, whence it proceeds by
Chirk Castle and across the river Dee and the Ruabon road, and forms part of the Wrexham road, as far
as Pentre Bychan. Hence it is continued, by Plâs
Power, Adwy 'r Clawdd near Minera, and Brymbo,
across the little river Cegidog, and on the southern
side of Bryn Yorkyn mountain, into Flintshire, its
direction being first northward and then north-westward. Near Chirk Castle, by the river Ceiriog, is a
large breach in it, supposed to be the place of interment of the English who fell in the battle of Crogen,
and still called Adwy 'r Beddau, or "the pass of the
graves." It is observable that the ditch is in all parts
on the western, or Welsh, side of the rampart; and
along its course are many artificial mounds, the sites
of small forts. Wat's Dyke, to the east of Offa's
Dyke, of equally large proportions, but not of so
great a length, is first discoverable to the south of
Maesbury, in the vicinity of Oswestry, whence it
may be traced across the eastern part of this county
to the estuary of the Dee, near Basingwerk, in
Flintshire. It enters Denbighshire, in crossing the
Ceiriog at the spot where that river unites with the
Dee, between Brynkinalt and Pen-y-Lan; and then
takes its course through Wynnstay Park, and by
Pentre 'r Clawdd to Erddig, where is the site of a
strong fort. Hence it passes above Wrexham, near
Melin Puleston, by Dôlydd, Maes-gwyn, Rhôsddû, Gwersyllt, across the Alyn, and through the
township of Llai, to Tryddin, in the county of
Flint. Mr. Pennant notices it as remarkable, that
Wat's Dyke should have been overlooked, or confounded with that of Offa, by all early writers, except
Thomas Churchyard, the poet, who supposes the
object of its formation to have been, that the intervening space between it and the latter might be free
ground, for the purposes of traffic, between the
Danes and the Britons. On one of the limestone
hills to the west of Abergele, called Copa 'r Wylva,
or the "mount of the watch tower," are the remains of a very strong British post; as there are
of another, called Caerddin, or Garthen, on a lofty
hill, about 200 yards distant from Offa's Dyke, near
Ruabon; and of a third, at the extremity of the
elevated ridge, overlooking the Vale of Gresford,
in a field called the Rofts. In the parish of Kegidock, on the summit of a hill called Pen-y-Parc,
are vestiges of the camp occupied by Owain Gwynedd, after his retreat from Cîl Owain. In the
parish of Llanarmon are numerous remarkable sepulchral tumuli, or barrows, of different forms, composed
of stones and earth, covered with sods, and inclosing
cinders, fragments of bones, and urns containing
ashes.

At the time of the Reformation there were, at
Denbigh a house of Carmelite friars, at Ruthin a
college of regular priests, and at Llanegwest a
Cistercian abbey, called De Valle Crucis: the remains of the last form an interesting and romantic
object. The most remarkable churches are those of
Gresford, Llanrhaiadr, Ruabon, Ruthin, and Wrexham, which last is one of the most beautiful specimens
of ecclesiastical architecture in the principality: that
of Hênllan is rendered worthy of notice by the peculiarity of its tower standing on a lofty rock, while
the body of the edifice is situated in the vale below.
There yet exist picturesque ruins of the castles of
Castell Dinas Brân, near Llangollen; Denbigh;
Holt; and Ruthin: Chirk Castle is now the large
and ancient mansion of Robert Myddelton Biddulph,
Esq., having been awarded by the Court of Chancery
to his mother, as one of the coheiresses of the Myddelton family. Near the village of Llanarmon, on an
unusually large artificial mount called Tommen-yVaeldre, may be traced the foundations of a square
fort. The principal modern residences in the county
are, Acton Hall, the seat of Sir Robert Cunliffe,
Bart.; Bathavern Park; Bryniestyn, that of Sir
William Lloyd, Knt.; Brynkinalt, that of Viscount
Dungannon; Dyfryn Aled; Erddig; Eyarth; Galltvaenon; Glanywern; Gresford Lodge; Gwersyllt;
Kinmel, that of Lord Dinorben; Llandebr Hall;
Llanerch; Llangedwin, that of the Rt. Hon. Charles
Williams Wynn; Llŷs Meirchion; Pen-y-Lan; Penbedw; Plâs Heaton; Plâs Power; Pool Park, that
of Lord Bagot; Ruthin Castle, that of the West
family; Trêvalyn; and Wynnstay, the princely residence of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart. Though
the farmhouses and offices are, in numerous instances,
upon modern and improved plans, yet the greater
number are of an inferior kind. In the vicinity of
the slate hills the fences are commonly walls of flat
stones; but modern fences are most frequently made
of hawthorn sets, of which great quantities are raised
by nurserymen in the county.

In those parts of Denbighshire bordering on
Cheshire, servants hired for the year commence their
term of service on the 1st of January; but in the rest
of the county, on the 1st of May. During the hay
and corn harvest, the farmers of the Vale of Clwyd
and its vicinity go every morning to the cross, or
market-place, of any of the towns of Wrexham,
Ruthin, or Denbigh, to hire workmen for the day;
the latter being there assembled for the purpose,
with their scythes and hooks. From time immemorial
it has been customary for men, of from forty to sixty
years of age, to come down, during the winter season,
into the lowlands of the county, from Merionethshire
and other mountainous districts, as professed feeders
of cattle: they are commonly called "cow-men."
The farmers of the lower parts of Denbighshire excel those of most other parts of North Wales in the
quality of their bread, beef, bacon, cheese, and ale,
which constitute the main support of the labouring
classes; but advancing thence into the more mountainous tracts, the wheaten bread is found mixed with
different proportions of rye and barley, or wholly
superseded by oat-meal cake.

There are springs of ancient celebrity for their
medicinal qualities, in the parish of Kegidock; at
the foot of an eminence called Gwladus' Chair, to
the north-west of the church of Llanrhaiadr; and
near the church of Llandegla. A lofty precipice on
the sea-shore to the west of Abergele, called Cevn
Ogov, is pierced by several caverns, washed by the
waves at high water: the largest of these is called
by way of distinction Yr Ogov, or "the cavern,"
and has its roof and sides decorated with stalactites,
in various fanciful forms. The most remarkable
waterfalls are, two upon the river Aled, near its
source; and that of Pistyll-Rhaiadr, near Llanrhaiadr-yn-Môchnant.